Musical bars.



J. C. DEAGAN.

MUSICAL BARS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2, 1911.

1,166,746. Patented Jan, 4,1916.

vi th the UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. DEAGAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MUSICAL BARS.

Application filed October 2, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. DEAGAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Musical Bars of whichthe following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to musical instruments or musical bars adapted whenstruck or otherwise operated upon to be set into vibration thereby toproduce sound. ()ne embodiment of my invention is in the form of aXylophone or a set of metal bars, and when the invention is thusembodied the bars are caused to have limited area of contact soundinsulating bar supports or engaging elements, this result bein securedby convexing the longitudinal face of the bar that is opposed to thesound insulating material. The sound-insulating elements that support orengage the bars are theinselves also preferably so formed. that theypresent engaging faces to the bars of reduced area.

Another feature of my invention resides in replacing the sharp orangular upper or outer longitudinal edges of the metal bars by bevels orcurved surfaces, that is the said edge portions of the bars are curvedwhereby these edge portions of the bars present surfaces that may beeffectively hit by the operators hammer properly to set the bars invibration, a result which could not be assured with prior designs wheresaid longitudinal edges were so sharp or angular as there to afford verylimited area of contact with the hammer when the hammer was caused tostrike glancing blows.

The characteristic of my invention which is now being described is ofparticular advantage in connection with a set of metallic soundproducing bars as the spaces between the bars are materially increasedto permit of better access of the operating hammer to the contiguoussurfaces of adjacent bars. Moreover the operating hammer in being causedto slide over the bars has opportunity better to strike each barindividually owing to the reception of the hammer within the spacesbetween adjacent bars that are increased by means of my invention. Inother words the bars are set into proper vibration irrespective of theangles at which Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1916.

Serial No. 652,409.

the hammer strikes the same owing to the shape described.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanyingdrawing showing a row of horizontally disposed bars, and in whichdrawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a musical instrument asconstructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is alongitudinal sectional view on line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a crosssectional view of one bar on a some what larger scale of illustration.

Like parts are indicated by similar charactors of reference throughoutthe different figures.

The instrument which I have shown is one that includes three metal bars(4, though it is understood that in practice the number of bars may varyand that the musical. tones produced thereby may be musically different.Each bar is shown as being provided with an aperture 7) for receiving apositioning pin (2 that projects upwardly from a base structure (Z, theaperture being sulficiently large to permit the pin to pass freelytherethrough to prevent interference. as far as possible, with thevibration of the bar. Distance preserving pins (2 also project upwardlyfrom the base structure and are interposed between adjacent bars,sufficient clearance intervening between these latter pins and the barsso that the bars may be free thereof so as freely to vibrate whenoperated upon. The pins 0 and c are surrounded by sleeves of rubber orother suitable matorial f so that the vibrations of the bars may not bein communication with the pins. Each pin provided, at its upper end,with a head, as indicated for example in Fig. 3. The bore of each rubbersleeve f is less than the diameter of the pin head so that the sleevecannot be dislodged. The base structure (Z also carries ridges or stripsf/ of sound-insulating material that are preferably substantiallytriangular in cross section, the triangular formation desirably beingpyramidal. The tops of the ridges g of felt or other sound insulatingmaterial are desirably slightly flattened so that these portions of theelements 9 will not be spread into wider contact with the bars a thatrest thereupon. The points of contact of the elements 9 with the barsare preferably at nodal points of the bars. By the constructhesunporting elements 9 just de- 'l: n.- contact \ith the bars a, arereduced to tln lowest i111 lit),

1 reduce the contact areas of tee bars that are presented to the idges gby convexin the bottom faces of the bars as indicated at it. Asillustrated i Fig. 3, the cross section of the bars is uniformthroughout, being sub stantially oblong and rounded along their upperccges and c nvexed at their bottom sides, though I do not itsh to belimited to this characteristic especially since it is now the practicein doing certain tuning of the bars t partially remove n'ia crial at thebottom ces therm'li Tl c 3d formation the bottom faces of th iurther reel c e support the same lVhcn torn ed of metal 1 curve the r edgesthereof, as indicated at it nier blows may be properly 1' ceived b partof the b: r to which the hammer l: cess the bar i'onerly and eilicientlyvibrating when the curved port'oirs are struck, a result that Was notassured when i Were provided with sharp or angular i L tudinal edgesupon the bar receiving glancing hammer blows. By curving the iong 1 a nyinvention concerns bars of such and has been oevisee to overcome some Lthe undesirable characteristics of bars of such shape.

The device oi my invention is thus seen to have three distlnctcharacteristics, one residin the formation of the bottom face of e bar,anoth-u' in the formation 01 the 10ni'itudinal upper edges of the bar,and the and in the formation of the si'iuiul-insulat- 1g supporting orcontacting element for the be r. l. do not wish. to be limited to theembodiment of 'i'arieus :har-c cteristics in a single organization.

My invention has been particularly described in connection with a barthat is horizontally disposet, in Which case the bottom "ace (t the baris the portion thereof that is nently engaged. Obviously the bar bevertitially disposed and its convex 101 I 1dinal face may be opposed toa soundinsr :ing body with advantages that are ob- '1011'1 the abovedescrirtion.

ill be seen that the instrument which I erein described includes aplurality of at substantially pa llel bar each bar a convex side valueis engaged to 1) edition the has; substantially panllel sides iacent theconvex side and a remaining side 'nteraening betiv een the latter twosides, the corner portions between the remaining i and the sides whichintervene between 0 l e convex side being curved. cescrihed my inventionit r. (in new and eesire to secure by Letters it as lit incl ding asoundproduc'ng bar and a support therefor, the l l s ibstantially oilongin cross secv *o broader length COHTBX and resting upon said 2 thelongitudinal corn adja- .nmosre broad ongitudinal v:Iace are In Witnesswhereof, l hereunto subscribe my name this 9 day of S-33t6111l36l', A.l)

i .JAD'IESON, C. P. LIDDON.

Copies of this patent may he obtained. for five cents each, addressingthe Commissioner of Ietents. Washington, D. G.

